A newly released video by Hamas showing signs of life from Israeli hostage Evyatar David, who has been held in Gaza for 666 days, sparked emotional responses Friday from former hostages, families of the captives and officials in Israel and abroad.
The video, reportedly filmed earlier this week, was released as part of what appears to be a renewed effort by Hamas to pressure Israel into agreeing to a ceasefire and hostage release deal. At the request of David’s family and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the footage has not been publicly distributed.
David’s sister, Yeela, urged the public and the media not to share images from the video without the family’s consent. “Please do not publish images from the footage until my family and I decide to release it,” she said. “Anyone who has seen it understands the severity of the situation. His physical state felt like a million punches to the heart.”
Survivors describe grim conditions
Omer Wenkert, who was held with David underground for 250 days before being released, described the conditions shown in the video as consistent with his own experience in captivity.
“Now you all know—this is what the tunnels looked like. Cramped, low and narrow,” Wenkert said. “You saw him. You saw his hunger. His physical condition. You're worried just like I am.”
Wenkert dismissed Hamas’ narrative that Israel is to blame for food shortages in Gaza. “That’s a complete lie. While I was there, I lost 37 kilograms. I didn’t see my captors lose even one,” he said. “Hamas is the one starving him. They steal the aid. I want to see just one photo of a Hamas operative who looks like Evyatar—just one.”
'Why are we still waiting?'
Former hostage Liri Elbag said the video’s timing, just before the traditional Friday evening meal, was especially painful. “I’m sitting here crying. Seeing signs of life from Rom Braslavski and Evyatar, knowing I have food, knowing I made it out—while they are still there—it’s crushing,” she wrote on Instagram. “Why isn’t it obvious they need to come home now? Why is it legitimate that some of our people are starving, being tortured, reliving a Holocaust—and we remain silent?”
Romi Gonen, another survivor, wrote: “For Evyatar and 49 other hostages, it’s another day in hell in Gaza. No food. No water. No air.” Gonen, who was released in a previous deal, said her family and David’s became close during their ordeal. “Why hasn’t he come back to hug Yeela? Why did I come back but Rom Braslavski didn’t?”
Eliya Cohen, also a former hostage, wrote on social media that the new footage reminded him of a moment in captivity when a Hamas member told him, “There’s no more food, no more water. Your people are starving us—so we’ll starve you.”
Agam Goldstein-Almog, who survived Hamas captivity, condemned the global response. “The world is silent,” she said. “They talk about hunger in Gaza and forget that in my house stood monsters with murder in their eyes. They slaughtered my loved ones in cold blood.”
“The world doesn’t understand. The world left us alone. Just five kilometers from my home, evil still breathes holding hostages. My world collapsed—and so did the world of many other families,” she wrote. “We were alone that Saturday and we are still alone today. The world abandoned us and remains silent.”
Diplomatic reactions
German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert condemned the conditions shown in the video and called for the immediate release of all remaining hostages. “Rescuing Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski and the others must be everyone’s top priority,” he said. “Their Hamas captors are a disgrace to their people and religion.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged government officials to watch the video before going to bed. “Watch Evyatar before you sleep—and try to sleep thinking of him trying to survive in a tunnel,” he said.
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U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s son, Alex Witkoff, posted on X: “Evyatar David was a young, healthy, brilliant man. Now—starved and held by Hamas—he’s barely recognizable. His frail body and hollow eyes resemble images from Nazi concentration camps. Bring them home now.”
Stalled negotiations
Israeli officials said Friday that negotiations remain stalled. “There is no deal. There is a complete deadlock,” a senior official said. Hamas is reportedly demanding 600 trucks of humanitarian aid per day as a precondition to returning to the negotiating table—an amount Israel says is unrealistic.
Officials said recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who indicated that the United States would no longer support partial hostage deals, were interpreted in Jerusalem as a green light to intensify military efforts against Hamas and bring the war to an end.
Senior Israeli leadership is expected to hold key discussions next week to determine how to move forward. While a path to renewed negotiations has not been ruled out, officials noted that progress “does not depend on Israel alone.”